History Talk Football Against the Nazis. The Death Match of Kyiv 1942

Football against the Nazis. The Death Match of Kyiv 1942. Presented by Keith Smith 

Football is often described as more than a game, but few stories illustrate that idea more powerfully than the “Death Match” of Kyiv in 1942.

During the dark days of Nazi occupation, a team of players from a Kyiv bakery defeated a series of German, Hungarian and Romanian military teams, culminating in the famous match against a crack German side out for revenge.

According to the story that spread around the world, the players were warned that victory would mean death—yet they chose to win and were executed for their defiance.

But how much of this dramatic tale is true?

Drawing on historical research, eyewitness accounts, Soviet and post-Soviet interpretations, and Keith’s personal experiences living in Kyiv, this talk explores the fascinating reality behind one of football’s most enduring legends.

Set against the backdrop of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the occupation of Kyiv, and the horrors of Babi Yar, it examines how sport became entangled with politics, propaganda and national memory.

Keith will also delve into the origins of Russia and Ukraine, and will examine parallels between the Nazi invasion of Ukraine summer 1941 and the ongoing Russian invasion of 2022.